


Snapshots - A High School Hannibal AU!

by Monkeybarrel



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Cannibalism, First Time, High School, M/M, references to murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-06
Updated: 2013-04-06
Packaged: 2017-12-07 16:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/750561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monkeybarrel/pseuds/Monkeybarrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Hannibal in high school, striving to not eat his tennis coach and making intense eyes at the awkward new kid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snapshots - A High School Hannibal AU!

**Author's Note:**

> Just messing around with the idea that how could you make these characters fluffier and less scary, which means...make them AU. Part of the not-a-real-game of "Choose Your Own Hannibal Romance Adventure."

Hannibal had made a promise to himself not to kill his tennis coach before the end of term, but Stryder was making things more difficult to stay on task. Yesterday’s comment about Hannibal’s “womanly hands” in front of his teammates had pushed Stryder up the list, now above Mr. Soren who had given him marks off for his spelling of “colour,” and below Billy Forrester, who had written obscenities on his gym locker.

Hannibal’s thoughts of auditioning recipes to best suit Stryder’s Middle American diet were interrupted by a clatter of plates and utensils on the cafeteria floor. He looked up to see #1 on his list Billy Forrester sneering at a curly-haired boy who was bent over the remains of his lunch and holding what looked to be a camera, clasping it close to his chest like a baby.

Billy loomed over him and kicked a carton of milk that had remained intact after its fall. The carton erupted on impact, spurting white liquid on the boy’s chest and face.

Hannibal remained in his seat, but he no longer watched Billy Forrester and the loathsome pack of shadows hooting behind him. It was the boy on the floor, his glasses dripping milk, that caught his attention. His hands were shaking as they lifted the camera up to his face, but they stilled as he pointed it at Billy. He took a picture, its click so loud that even Hannibal could hear it. After, he nodded to Billy like Billy has done him a favor, turned, and left the cafeteria, the broken remains of his spaghetti and meatballs scattered across the floor.

Hannibal got up and walked past Billy and his shadows, stepped over the spaghetti, and followed.

As he pushed through the doors, he made a mental note next to Billy’s name on his list. _Meatballs_.

\---- 

Hannibal made a separate list for Will, a list where he commented on Will’s strange ticks and eccentricities. It started with “carries camera everywhere” and continued with “studies Latin”, “prefers milk chocolate”, “unable to do a pull-up”, “parents are divorced”, “twitchy driver”, “fears and craves attention”, “enjoys pizza bagels”, and “virgin.” 

He added and edited his list every day as he learned more. He enjoyed it--the learning. Will intrigued him in a way that was...unexpected.

He still kept his other list, editing and adding to it. But Will’s list had somewhere taken precedent.

He watched Will from across the library table. They would remain here for another hour and then they would pack up their books, and Will would drive Hannibal home. Hannibal was working up how to ask Will to come in for dinner. He found that spontaneous worked best. Less time for Will to get nervous, and think of an excuse. 

Hannibal watched as Will stuck his tongue out and licked his lips, his eyes intent on his math homework. It was an unknowing, unconscious habit that he did when concentrating.

Hannibal added it to the list.

\--- 

Although many others were planning on having sex on prom night, Hannibal was not. He wasn’t going to prom after all. Will refused to go, and Hannibal had taken the opportunity to invite him over for a special dinner. His family was gone for the evening, out celebrating their last night before the move. He encouraged them to go and made the reservations himself for their meal of 9 courses and a copious amount of wine. He might not enjoy their hung-over company the next day, but he would enjoy their absence now, and Will’s shy, nervous closeness, and the meal he meticulous prepared for them.

He moved to open the bottle of sparkling apple cider, a gift from Will’s overly-suspicious mother. As he unwrapped the foil, he raised his eyebrows at Will. “We could also open something...a little stronger.”

Will grimaced. “Better not.” He looked away and then down at Hannibal’s waist, and then lower. “I would just fall asleep later.”

Hannibal threw away the foil and twisted the cork. It opened with a loud pop. “Well, we can’t have that, can we?”

Before they ate, Will took a picture of the table, all laid out with their heaping plates, and full glasses, and the bottle of sparkling cider in the middle. “Evidence,” he said, before putting the camera down. “Now I can tell her that we really drank it.”

The cider was a little too sweet for the meal, but the sausage in the ravioli still boasted a robust tang that Hannibal found very satisfying. Will seemed to enjoy it as well. He sheepishly went for more when Hannibal mentioned there were plenty for seconds. Hannibal took his time with the meal, savoring each bite just as he enjoyed watching Will cut each piece and place them on the middle of his tongue before closing his mouth and chewing.

“I can’t believe you made all this,” Will rubbed a napkin over his face and mouth. “How long did it take you?”

Three months of waiting, one afternoon to procure the items, and three hours of prep. But that was his secret to not share. Instead, he said, “Not long. It’s just something I’ve been playing around in my head. Wanted to try it.” He smiled and nudged Will’s leg with his foot. “Wanted to see how it would turn out.”

Will smiled his nervous smile, but didn’t shy away. “Tastes perfect. No complaints from me.”

“Excellent,” Hannibal looked down at his plate and the remnants of red sauce smeared across it. He had a flash of memory, of him lifting Stryder’s bloody hands out of the bathtub, just his hands. “I found it quite pleasing, although next time,” he dipped his finger in the sauce and licked it, “definitely more garlic.”

The sex was unplanned, and to Hannibal’s chagrin, far less perfect than the meal he had cooked. It was messy and more awkward than Hannibal had expected or planned in his head. Before, when he thought of them tangled together like this, he had imagined he would write “no longer virgin” on his mental Will-List, but now he was adding “Most likely not a virgin.” He was not disappointed in Will, whose stuttering shyness had erupted when Hannibal had worked both their pants down. He was disappointed with himself. He had hoped to give Will a proper lesson in lovemaking, something that Will would remember the next day and the next week and in his lifetime, that Hannibal had touched him first, had taken him before anyone else.

But like his sauce, he would have to wait for the next time to make it more perfect.

Will was sleeping next to him, his curls falling over his forehead, his face soft in sleep. Hannibal reached over and quietly picked up Will’s camera. He laid his head next to Will’s and held the camera above them. He pressed the button, and heard the click.

He turned and looked at the camera’s view screen. The image was too dark to see anything clearly, their faces two shadows overlapping, slightly haloed by the white glow of the streetlamps outside his window.

He smiled and placed the camera on the table. “There you go.” He turned back and brushed the curls back from Will’s face. “Evidence.”

\--- 

The next day he left with his family to move back to Europe. He didn’t say anything until Will was already seated in his car. Hannibal leaned over and kissed his shocked face through the open window. 

He didn’t want a dragged-out long goodbye, and he thought the more spontaneous the better for Will. Less time to think. Less time to dwell on unanswered questions.

And when Will asked, “Is this it?” and waved his hand in the air, as if trying to grasp the nebulous whatever that had grown between them the last few months, Hannibal brushed back the curls from his forehead one last time and replied, “For now.”

He left the promise that they would meet again unspoken. It would only clutter up Will’s mind, and he preferred Will surprised, eyes wide and mouth open, and achingly enticing as he suddenly faced the unexpected. 

He looked forward to seeing Will’s face that day, whenever it would be. And looked forward even more to what came after.

As he watched Will’s car disappear down the road, he heard the click-click-click of his mother’s heels on the driveway. He turned and she thrust a plastic Tupperware contain to his chest. His hands automatically went up to clasp it. It was still chilled from the freezer.

“You left a note on that to not throw it away,” his mother huffed at him. “It’s the last thing in the refrigerator. Can I toss it with everything else?”

He looked down at the container and the remaining pieces within. He shook it and heard them bounce against the sides, like hard little rocks.

“No, I think I’ll reheat these for lunch.” He started back to the house. The microwave was built in, so they weren’t moving it. He could make a nice little meal and then assist with packing the truck. 

It would be a shame to leave without saying a final goodbye to Billy.


End file.
